(KNOX) – Two Fargo daycare operators have been sentenced after an investigation that found instances of child neglect, unreported injuries and drug use inside their home-based daycare.
Cara and Joshua Aus ran Cara’s Cozy Heart Daycare. The investigation started in April 2024 when a 2-month-old infant went to an emergency room with a broken arm. Medical professionals determined that the injury was not an accident. Fargo Police detectives worked with Child Protective Services and North Dakota Child Care Licensing. The daycare’s license was suspended later on.
Detectives also found unreported injuries to children who had gone to the daycare in previous years. Some of those children suffered a broken clavicle, nursemaid’s elbow and unexplained bruising. None of the injuries were reported, even though it is required by law to report them.
Search warrants also found evidence of drug distribution that had happened inside the home while the daycare was operating and when children were there. In 2025, a former daycare child also said they were physically punished by the caregivers.
Joshua Aus pleaded guilty to counts of child neglect and drug possession. He was sentenced to 360 days in jail and to 18 months of supervised probation.
Cara Aus pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine with the intent to deliver it. She also pleaded guilty. She also pleaded guilty to having both a Schedule II controlled substance and a Schedule IV controlled substance. As of a plea agreement, the child neglect charges against her were dismissed. She was sentenced to five years in prison and two years of supervised probation.
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